Honor's Price
by 33andobsessed
Summary: Living between 2 rival gangs is not easy to do the key is not to attract attention. But when I fainted at the feet of one of the gang leaders, I quickly found my life had just gotten a lot more complicated. SK
1. Chapter 1

_Inuyasha and crew do not belong to me, I only claim the story line.

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_

Chapter 1

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The clock on the wall seemed to mock me as it hovered just a few minutes to closing time. With a sigh, I once again tried to explain why the book that was ordered just that _morning_ had not yet come in. "I promise, the very moment that your book comes in, I will give you a call, Mrs. Katyama." After making me swear and ensuring that I had her phone numbers, I was finally able to usher the last customer out the door and gratefully lock it behind her.

Resisting the urge to collapse wearily into the overstuffed armchair nestled invitingly amongst the mysteries, I went over to the register and started to close it down. I was busily trying to count the pile of coins that a couple of kids used to buy their books and didn't notice that I was no longer alone in the small store until I felt someone touch my shoulder.

"Aaahh!" Spinning quickly, I jumped and my elbow knocked the register to the floor with a crash. I took a step back and I almost fell; I would have except for a steadying hand on my arm.

"Are you okay, Kagome?" I looked up and grinned at the elderly woman standing beside me, amusement twinkling in her eye.

I could feel myself blush in embarrassment as I answered, "Yes, Kaede. You just startled me." With a quick apology, she knelt down and helped me gather the dropped coins and bills.

Kaede owned the little bookstore that I worked in and she treated me like family. She was probably in her seventies; her hair was a steely grey, and her face was creased by a mass of wrinkles. She only had one eye; the other was covered by a black patch. Kaede liked to tell the kids who came into the store that she lost it while fighting as a samurai before she was discovered to be a woman in disguise. Needless to say, all the kids thought that she was wonderful and would often come to hear her stories. One day, she actually confided that she had lost it in a childhood accident, but made me promise not to tell anyone. I, too, preferred her samurai tale of its loss and agreed to keep her secret.

"How is your brother doing?" I sat back and smiled thoughtfully.

"He is doing really well. He only has two more years of medical school and then he will begin his internship." My brother, Souta, was only 16. He was one of the youngest to be accepted into medical school where he managed to maintain high grades. I was especially proud of him because I had raised him by myself for the past 5 years after mom and dad were killed.

Kaede smiled, but I noticed her studying me intently. "I am glad to hear that, but you need to take better care of yourself. I am afraid that you are spreading yourself too thin." I shook my head. I had to work two jobs in order to make sure Souta could get through school okay. It didn't matter to me that I lived in a dump located between two rival gangs, or that my clothes were too old to be considered fashionable or that I subsisted on packaged ramen and dry cereal. I only cared that Souta's schooling was paid for, and that he was happy.

"I wish that you would at least move in here above the shop. That way, I wouldn't worry about you going home alone." We both stood up and Kaede insisted on carrying the cash till to the back.

"You know why I won't move here, Kaede. What would the kids do in the mornings?" I held a before-school childcare out of my small apartment, although, if you wanted to be technical, I babysat between 2 and 4 kids from 4 am until 8 am when they went to school while their parents were at work.

Kaede sighed. "I know, but I am worried about you." I put my arms around her small frame. She measured in at 5'1" to my 5'2", but for some reason, she seemed especially frail that evening.

I cherished the time I spent in her embrace, only to gasp and draw away when I saw how late it was. "I am sorry, Kaede, but my bus…" My words trailed off as I scrambled for my things and hurried towards the door.

Kaede followed and handed me my purse as she opened the door for me. "Be careful going home and you get some rest. I will see you in a few days." I nodded and waved as I ran towards the bus stop, praying that I hadn't missed the last bus home for the evening.

The bus was ready to pull out as I arrived panting for breath, but the driver waited for me and allowed me to board before lurching back out into the now dark streets. I stumbled to an empty seat near the front of the bus and sat down with a sigh. A quick glance showed that I was the only human on the bus, but there were four demon passengers towards the back – 3 wolf demons and a wind demoness. All four belonged to gangs. I saw just enough to know that I wanted nothing to do with them and proceeded to ignore them the best I could for the rest of the ride.

Ignoring them was proving difficult as it appeared that one of the wolf demons had been drinking and now was trying to flirt with the demoness, his friends egging him on, while the demoness refused to respond to his advances. I slouched in my seat in hopes that they would not notice me and I would be left alone.

My stop approached none too soon, and I gratefully got off the bus and headed home. I picked up the pace when I realized that the others had also gotten off at the same spot. I kept my head down and stayed near the buildings, walking as quickly as I could. I could hear the one guy, Kouga, tell the demoness, Kagura, that he could show her what a real demon could do. She laughed at him as his friends realized that they were no longer alone and tried to get him to leave quietly.

"Come on Kouga, just let her go. She ain't worth it." I took a quick look back and saw one of the wolf demons with a shaggy mohawk, grab the good-looking demon with his long, brown hair pulled into a ponytail, by the arm and try to drag him away. The other demon kept looking around nervously. Kouga roughly pulled his arm away.

"I ain't going anywhere until I show this bitch that she is on the wrong side of the street. She shouldn't be hanging around Fang territory unless she wants to be messed with." I quickly ducked into a doorway and placed a hand on my wildly beating heart. This was not good, I knew that trouble was coming. The Fangs were one of the gangs that held territory near my apartment. For the most part, they didn't cause much trouble, but I recognized the demoness Kagura. Her boyfriend, Naraku, was the leader of the Spiders. I sometimes watched Kagura's younger sister, Kanna, before school.

The Spiders held territory nearby and were vicious rivals of the Fangs. The Spiders were notorious for their escapades and their ruthlessness during fights. I peeked around the doorway and saw Kagura give the wolf demons a mocking smile as she shouldered past Kouga and stepped into the embrace of a shadowy figure.

"Hey babe, are these mutts giving you trouble?" Naraku and a few of his gang stepped into the light and stared menacingly at the three Fangs.

"Not really," Kagura answered as she wrapped an arm around Naraku's neck and licked his cheek. "They are nothing more than a group of puppies yapping for attention."

"Who are you calling a puppy?" Kouga demanded as he threw a punch at the demoness, only to be dropped by a kick to the gut by one of the watching Spiders. With a growl, the other two Fangs started into the fight. Seconds later, the street in front of me turned into a battlefield as more Fangs and Spiders joined in the melee.

I cowered in the doorway, too scared to move. Not that there was anywhere I could go at the moment without making a target of myself. I could hear gunshots and the clashing of swords and knives above the shouts and cursing catcalls. A stray gunshot struck the wall in front of my nose and I instinctively jumped up and ran for home. That probably was not the smartest thing to do, but to be totally honest, I panicked. My only thought was to get home and lock the door.

I ran blindly for about a block before a crack sounded and I felt a sharp, stinging pain in my wrist. I looked down and saw blood – my blood – and immediately grew faint. Now don't get me wrong; I don't get squeamish at the sight of blood, as long as it belongs to others. I can and have bandaged my share of bloody gashes, and have watched in fascination as Souta's broken arm was reset several years ago, but if I knick myself shaving, I pass out. Kinda stupid, I know, but what can I say?

Anyway, when I saw blood on my arm, I gagged back the bile that rose in my throat and staggered to a stop before I quickly and no-so gracefully sat down. I tried to steady my breathing as my vision began to fade. I was vaguely aware of someone standing beside me, but all I could make out was white hair and intense golden eyes. My feeble attempts to keep from passing out failed and I sank into darkness.

* * *

Change of viewpoint

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Up and down the street, the Fangs were cleaning up the mess left behind when the Spiders made their strategic retreat. Inuyasha ran a hand through his silver hair and spied Miroku and Sango tending to the few injuries of the few human members of the Fangs; the wounded demons would all heal fine on their own. Sango caught his eye and nodded towards the sidewalk where Kouga and his cousins sat nursing their own injuries.

With a sigh, Inuyasha walled over and stood above the three wolf demons, only to shake his head in disbelief; Kouga, as well as the other two, reeked of alcohol. "Are you okay?" he asked the three demons. They all nodded and Kouga smiled sheepishly up at him.

"Yeah, we're okay." Kouga looked around and sighed in relief when he didn't see any bodies lying around. "Any serious injuries?" he asked. Inuyasha shook his head.

"None of ours," he said with a glare as the wolf demon started to smile. Inuyasha smirked as he prepared to take Kouga down a notch. "But a civilian was hit by a stray bullet." Inuyasha watched in satisfaction as all three wolf demons paled.

"Ah, shit! How bad?" Kouga prayed that it wasn't serious. Hopefully, as long as it wasn't bad, their leader, Sesshomaru wouldn't find out. Sesshomaru had a very strict sense of honor and held his gang members to the same rigid rules. One of the biggest rules in the gang was that no civilian was to be involved in gang business. The fact that one was injured during a fight that _he_ had started, meant that Kouga was in deep, deep trouble.

Inuyasha was enjoying Kouga's discomfort. He and Kouga were "friendly" rivals and each would gloat in the other's failures, but when push came to shove, there couldn't be any two closer friends. Inuyasha allowed his ears to flick forward as he tried to relieve some of the stress from Kouga. "Oh, the wound isn't that bad, it is only a flesh wound." Kouga sighed in relief.

"Good. Then Sesshomaru doesn't need to know." Kouga stood and dusted off his pants. He looked up and stared in dawning realization when Inuyasha didn't answer him. "He doesn't know, does he?"

"Sorry, Kouga, Sesshomaru already knows. After all, she passed out at his feet." Inuyasha pointed behind Kouga, who cringed as he turned around to see the tall, silver-haired demon leader of the Fangs glare in his direction. At the leader's feet lay a petite young woman in a dead faint.

Kouga swallowed painfully and tried desperately not to whimper in fear. "Oh shit," he whispered as Sesshomaru slowly smiled and beckoned him over. Kouga shuddered; whenever Sesshomaru smiled, awful things happened around him.

* * *

TBC

_A/N: Well, here is the first chapter to a new story. Please let me know what you think. Thank-you to my wonderful beta, Breezie for waiting for me so patiently; it finally paid off!_

_As always, Read, Enjoy, and Review!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Inuyasha and crew do not belong to me, I only claim the story line._

Chapter 2

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_Sesshomaru's point of view

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_

I hung up the phone quietly, wishing instead that I could throw it across the room. Jaken had just confirmed what I had already suspected. Someone was leaking confidential information to Naraku and his Spiders. I leaned back in my chair and absently massaged my temples as I felt the stirrings of a headache. I wondered who the traitor could be; there were only a very few who were privy to the leaked information, and I had never before had reason to doubt their loyalty.

I stood up and walked towards the refrigerator, planning to get myself a bottle of water, when my demonic hearing caught the sounds of gunfire. Resisting the urge to sigh, I quickly left Fang headquarters and made my way out to the street.

As I came upon the scene, I could see my Fangs clashing with the Spiders once again. Of course, that really was no surprise. I caught sight of Naraku and growled. I didn't know what instigated the fight tonight, but I wanted it to end now; the time and place were not yet advantageous for us to make our ultimate move against our rival gang.

Naraku smiled as he saw me standing beside the building and gave me a mocking salute before he seemingly melted back into the shadows. The rest of his gang followed a short time later, evidently obeying an unknown signal. My people quickly began clean-up and I was pleased to see that in this, at least, they were very efficient.

I turned to head back into the building when I paused. I could smell an injured human approaching me. I did not recognize the blood scent and turned back just in time to see a petite, dark-haired woman collapse at my feet. She was not a member of either gang, which could only mean that she was a civilian. I growled in irritation as I looked at her more carefully. Not only was she a civilian, but I recognized her as the human woman who would care for several children while their parents were working. The fact that she didn't care if the children were human, demon, or hanyou was what had attracted my interest.

I took a closer look and noticed that she had only sustained a minor injury; it appeared that a stray bullet had grazed her hand. I noted that the bleeding had already ceased, but I was puzzled by her state of unconsciousness.

I looked up and saw that the clean-up was almost completed. I watched as Inuyasha talked to Sango, who nodded towards Kouga and his nearly worthless cousins. My half-brother walked over to them and started talking to the wolf demons. I could hear quite clearly Kouga's response when Inuyasha informed him of the civilian's injury; I growled when Kouga dared to state that I would not need to be informed of this 'incident'.

When Inuyasha pointed Kouga in my direction, I could not help but give him one of my few "smiles". Everyone in the Fangs knew that my smiles meant trouble was fast approaching. I enjoyed the scent of fear that I could pick up emanating from the wolf demon. It almost, but not quite, overpowered the scent of alcohol.

I stood still and watched Kouga shuffle towards me, Inuyasha silently herding him in my direction. When the wolf demon stood before me, his eyes refusing to meet mine, I allowed him to stand there in nervous anticipation while I leveled my iciest glare at him. Finally, I spoke, not wanting Kouga's agitated state to deteriorate into tears as I could sense he was close to doing.

"Kouga," I resisted the urge to smirk as the frazzled wolf demon jumped at the sound of my voice, "what is the number one law of this gang?"

Kouga's voice broke as he started to answer. He stopped and took a deep breath before trying again. "Our number one law is that 'Any and all civilians are to be treated with respect.'"

"And what does that mean, exactly?"

"That anyone not belonging to the gangs should not be involved in gang business," Kouga paused and looked into my eyes before quickly glancing away and continuing, "and they should never be endangered through our actions."

Kouga looked at the woman who had started to stir at my feet. I carefully watched him as he noticed her injury. I was pleased to see that he was ashamed of his role in its occurrence. I nodded at Inuyasha, who had been leaning against the nearby light post. He smirked and stepped forward.

"Your actions this evening, Kouga, were the direct cause of injury done to this civilian woman. If you had not gotten drunk, you would not have started the fight with the Spiders while she was around." Kouga had looked towards my brother when he began speaking, but returned to staring at the sidewalk, not denying Inuyasha's charge.

I waited a moment to see if Kouga would try to defend himself, but was pleased when he refused to shame himself further by doing so.

"Kouga, I, Sesshomaru, leader of the Fangs, hereby decree that you shall remain alcohol free for one year. If you are caught with alcohol either in your possession or in your system, you will be thrown from the gang and shall be considered fair game by any." The wolf demon paled at this but nodded his agreement.

I noticed the woman was now sitting up and cradling her head in her hands and thought of one other "punishment" for this wolf. "Further more, you shall provide this civilian woman twenty-four hour protection for the next month."

I hid my smirk while Inuyasha openly laughed as both Kouga and the young woman stared at me and yelled in unison, "WHAT!?!"

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_Kagome's point of view

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_

I don't think I was out too long before I awoke to voices speaking close by. I slowly sat up and cradled my aching head in my hands. I vaguely noticed the now dried blood caked along a scratch on my hand, but was more concerned by a knot I found where I must have hit my head when I passed out.

I was only half listening to the man, err, demon as he talked to the wolf demon, Kouga, whom I had seen on the bus. I looked at this demon from the corner of my eye. His long white hair almost seemed to reflect the light from the street lamp, almost seeming to glisten. I found myself wondering what it would look like up close in the sunlight. I held back a shiver though, as his voice held no hint of warmth. I knew that if I looked into his face, this Sesshomaru (I heard him call himself that), would not show any sort of expression. I was very glad that I was not the subject of his attention.

I shifted my gaze past a nervous Kouga, kinda wondering why he was nervous, and caught sight of the third demon. He had the same white hair as Sesshomaru, and was close enough in appearance to him, that I wondered if they were related in some way. The main difference between the two demons was this one had the cutest pair of doggie ears… I found myself wanting to touch them.

I jerked my thoughts away from their dangerous (at least, not wise) path and started to look for a way to extract myself from the presence of these demons and go home. I started to climb to my feet but stopped when I heard Mr. Ice beside me place me in the protective custody of wolf boy.

"WHAT!?!" I vaguely noticed that Kouga echoed my surprise, but I really didn't care. I stood to my feet and glared at the demon who dared to dictate my life. "OH, HELL NO! I am not going to be babysat by some mangy wolf demon who probably couldn't find his ass with both hands!" I found myself poking the tall, silent demon in the chest and resisted the urge to do something more physical.

He growled at me and grabbed my offending hand. I briefly thought about trying to wrest it away, but knew that I could not compare to his demonic strength.

"Woman, you have no choice. The wolf will be your bodyguard."

"What do you mean, I have no choice? I am not one of your gang flunkies, following your orders blindly. I am a free woman and owe my obedience to no one." I looked up and saw that not only did he have the most piercing golden eyes, but he sported the blue crescent moon and magenta stripes of a demon lord from one of Japan's oldest ruling families. Oh hell, what have I gotten myself into now?

Sesshomaru raised a single elegant eyebrow and smirked. "Do you not live in my territory? As such, you have been sheltered from harassment. Therefore, I can demand your compliance as payment. If you choose not to comply, you are then required to leave my territory. It is your choice."

My heart stopped. Leave? Where would I go? When I asked him, Sesshomaru released my hand and stepped back. "That is not my concern," he said. I closed my eyes, holding back the tears of frustration that threatened to fall.

"Fine, but I have several conditions to set."

"Your conditions do not interest me. Work them out with Kouga." With that, the arrogant ass of a leader turned and walked away. I held back the urge to throw a rock at his back, but it was very difficult.

I turned back to the other two demons who had watched my tirade with silence. The dog-eared demon clasped a hand to Kouga's back in a silent farewell before he too, walked away. I was left staring at my unwanted bodyguard, who looked as unhappy as I felt about this entire situation. I decided to at least take my unwanted infringement of my privacy as gracefully as possible. I extended my hand in greeting.

"Hello, my name is Kagome and I shall be your prisoner for the next 30 days."

* * *

TBC 

_A/N: Thank-you everyone for the wonderful response to the first chapter. I hope that I can continue to bring you pleasure with this fic._

_Thank-you Breezie for your help – you are appreciated!_

_As always, Read, Enjoy and Review!_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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The wolf demon, Kouga, looked at me with a strange expression on his face. He almost appeared hurt by my callous words. Feeling for the guy, I started to apologize.

"Hey listen, I really did not mean what I said, at least, not like it came out. I am just very tired and not very happy to have my privacy disregarded without any say on my part."

Kouga smiled at me sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I can totally understand that. You should not be a part of my punishment this way." He dropped his hand only to grab my wounded one in his. He frowned as he examined the graze left by a bullet. "You were really lucky that you weren't injured any worse than this." Kouga looked at me as he said this, obviously wanting to make sure that I was not hiding any other injuries from him. I just silently shook my head; I wasn't going to tell him that I only passed out because I can't stand the sight of my own blood. Evidently satisfied with my response, Kouga dropped my hand as he said, "We should go and get it cleaned out."

"Yeah, I guess so," I said as I headed for my apartment. Kouga fell into step beside me and we were quiet as I led him the few remaining blocks to my place. As I led him inside the ramshackle building and up the rickety staircase, I could feel Kouga's questions itching to be asked. I ignored him as I finally made it to the third floor and turned down the dark hallway, making my way to my apartment more from memory than by any other method. Kouga stopped behind me and waited as I fished for my keys. I jumped slightly as he broke the strained silence.

"Do you live alone?" I looked at him and nodded. He gave a soft growl and grabbed my keys from me and told me to wait outside as he opened the door.

"What do you mean, wait outside? This is my home, not yours!" I pushed past Kouga only to have him grab my arm with a snarl.

"There is some one here! I want you to wait while I check it out."

I looked around my small studio apartment, not seeing anything out of place. My bathroom, no larger than the small closet beside it, stood open and very obviously empty. I was quickly losing what little patience I had with this wolf demon. "I don't see anyone, so just cool it!" I glared at Kouga and began to fume. If this was any indication of the next 30 days, I would either go crazy, or I would wind up killing something or someone.

I flipped on the light and put my purse away. I turned towards the sink and saw Kouga poking around.

"You can have a seat on the couch while I clean up my scratch. Then we will have our talk and set some rules." Kouga nodded and sat on the edge of my old, faded couch, only to jump up quickly as a small yelp sounded. A small, auburn head popped out from beneath the blankets I had left folded on the couch and gave a large yawn while rubbing sleepy eyes. Kouga stared at the small figure in shock before looking at me with a knowing grin.

"I told you some one was here!" I glared at him; I hated people who said 'I told you so'. I was more concerned about the small fox demon on my couch.

"Hey Shippou, what are you doing here?" The young kit opened his eyes and leapt for my arms as he started to cry.

"Kagome…my papa didn't come back home again and I got scared. I ran here as fast as I could and let myself in." I nodded as he told me his tale.

"Did you put the key back?" I asked him.

His little head nodded and he gave me a little smile. "I fixed myself a bowl of cereal and then fell asleep waiting for you." I held him in my arms and looked for evidence of his meal, but didn't see any sign of his dishes. Shippou, realizing what I was looking for, cheerfully piped up, "I even put my bowl and spoon back, Kagome!" He looked so proud of his accomplishment, I couldn't help but to smile at him.

I was surprised that he had managed to wash his dishes without making a mess and said so. Shippou looked at the floor and whispered "I forgot to wash them first. I am sorry Kagome!" When he lifted his head again I could see tears forming in his emerald eyes.

I smiled at him and gave him a hug before tucking him into my bed. I tousled his hair after smoothing the blankets over him. "Don't worry about it, Shippou. It is the thought that counts. Go to sleep and we'll talk some more in the morning."

Shippou nodded before yawning again and quickly fell asleep. Making sure that he was covered against the chill, I stood and went over to collect his dirty dishes from within the cupboard. I washed his bowl and spoon, as well as rewashing the few clean ones that had been in contact with the dirty ones and put them all away before remembering my other "houseguest".

"You are welcome to sleep on the couch if you like," I said to Kouga as I hung my damp washrag up to dry. "We'll talk in the morning, as I am exhausted." I stifled a yawn; it had been a very long day after all. I was very glad that I wasn't working at the bookstore and that there was no school the next day. I should be able to get some sleep at least.

Kouga looked at me and then at the now sleeping fox kit. I knew he wanted some answers, and I decided to at least give him a quick explanation to Shippou's presence here.

"That is Shippou. He is one of the children I care for. His mother died about a year ago, along with his baby sister. His father drops Shippou off at my place and leaves for a few days before coming back. Shippou knows where I keep my spare key and lets himself in if I am not here." I yawned again, noticing that Kouga was nodding his understanding.

I grabbed my pajamas before heading into the bathroom to change. There was no way in the world I was going to change in the room with an uninvited wolf demon standing there.

Kouga was waiting form me when I got out. I could tell he wanted to ask me questions, but I was too tired to talk any further.

"Good night, Kouga. I will talk to you in the morning. After all, we have 30 days to get to know one another."

"Good night, Kagome," he said. "Sleep well." I sank gratefully into my bed, vaguely sensing Shippou snuggling up against me for warmth. It seemed like only seconds passed before I started to dream of golden eyes.

* * *

Kouga's POV

* * *

I watched silently as Kagome interacted with the young fox demon. I was impressed by the way she seemed to instinctively take on the role of the kit's mother. It didn't bother me at all to be ignored; it just gave me some time to observe this strange human woman who had been placed in my protection.

I was very confused by this deceptively frail woman before me. She had appeared weak when I first saw her sprawled on the ground in front of Sesshomaru, yet she displayed a rare strength of conviction when she stood before the Fang leader and dared to argue with his pronouncement that she'd be in my care. This Kagome gave off an aura of sophistication and grace that belied the horrid living conditions around her. She seemed like she would be more at home among the upper crust of society, yet here she was living amongst the so-called dregs without much concern. There were few humans that could accept us demons without fear; none of them would willingly act as surrogate family for demon children. Not even those humans within the Fangs. Yes, Kagome was definitely a strange woman.

Once the kit was asleep, I watched Kagome clean up the small kitchen area, noticing the fatigue that was rapidly claiming her. She turned around and almost seemed surprised to see me, but she quickly recovered and told me about Shippou. When she had explained how she knew him, I recognized the kit as the son of one of the Fang's spies within the Spiders; however, I was not aware that the Kitsune had gone back to Naraku's territory.

I bid Kagome a good night, and settled myself upon the old couch to wait for her to fall asleep. It did not take long before her deep breathing indicated that she had finally succumbed to her fatigue. I stood to my feet and silently began to explore her tiny apartment. Despite the slovenly appearance of the building and the hallway, Kagome's apartment was very clean and inviting.

There was very little furniture; her full size bed, the old faded green couch, and a wooden table with two chairs being the main pieces. A bookshelf made of cinder blocks and scrap boards stood in one corner with a small television perched in the center.

I went over and studied the few books that perched upon the bookshelf. Picking one up, I was surprised to note that it was a biography on Beethoven. I saw several other composers as well as several books that contained sheet music. I wondered why Kagome would have music books, but no instrument that I could see. Putting the book I held back into its spot on the shelf, I continued my examination of the small apartment.

I poked around the cupboards and the refrigerator, trying to get a better understanding of this human woman I was charged to protect for the next month. Finding nothing more than a partial box of cereal and a carton of milk, I was dismayed. I looked towards the bed where Kagome lay snuggled with the fox kit and noticed how thin she appeared. Why didn't I notice it earlier? Shaking my head, I took a seat at the small table and looked out the window. I noticed with some surprise that I could see Fang headquarters from the lone apartment window.

Idly running my fingers across the table top as I looked out at the clear night's sky, it took me a moment to realize that the table was badly scratched. Looking down, I could not see them in the faint light that came in the window, but I could definitely feel them. I allowed my finger tips to trace the unseen gouges and soon realized that they were too even, too regular. There were a lot of them, and they had obviously been carved there for a reason; but what that reason was, I had no idea. I sighed and sat back in the chair. The mystery of the table carvings would have to wait until morning light. In the mean time, I turned my thoughts towards my fiancée, Ayame, and hoped that Inuyasha had called her to let her know where I was.

* * *

TBC

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait for the update. I was struggling with a formatting decision in regards to the story. Now that it has been made, hopefully the next update won't take so long._

_Thank-you for all of the wonderful reviews! I hope that you enjoy this chapter as well._

_As always, Read, Enjoy, and Review!_


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